Loom harness



Sept. 12, 1950 J. J. KAUFMANN LOOM HARNESS Fiied Sept. 27, 1947 INVENTOR.

5 AT T 0RNE1K Patented Sept. 12, 1950 LOOM HARNESS J ohnJ acob Kaufmann, Elkins Park, Pa., assignor to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- Application September 27, 1947, Serial No. 776,430

8 Claims.

, This invention relates to loom harness, and it relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of the harness frames and the heddles mounted therein.

Heretofore one of the. most commonly used forms of loom harnessframe comprised top and bottom rails connected at their ends by struts which also servedas the means for supporting the bars or rods upon which the heddles were mounted. However, such heddle rods commonly required a plurality of supports intermediate the ends thereof, and said intermediate supportsfor the heddle rods would serve not only to take up the strain upon theheddle rods when the shed was formed, but also served to'prevent the heddle rods from becoming displaced from the normal plane thereof, thereby preventing fouling of the heddle rods, and the heddles mounted thereon, with adjacent frames in the loom, as the same were raised or lowered to form the successive sheds.

However, in recent years automatic warp drawing-in machines have become more commonly used for the purpose of entering the warp through the harness, and as it is ordinarily necessary, in theuse of the automatic warp drawing-in machines, that the heddles be permitted entire freedom of movement from end to end. on the heddle rods; and the usual intermediate-supports which obstruct such movement of the heddles on the heddle rods cannot be used when the entering of the Warp is done by means of the automatic drawing-in machines. a Many attempts have ,hereto been made t eliminate the obstructions caused by the intermediate supports of the ordinary types, but in virtually all of these the heddles used were made with openings inthe; shanks of themortises at each end of each heddle, thus greatly weakening the heddles at those points.

The present invention contemplates a novel construction and arrangement, of the loom harness frames, and the heddles mounted therein, which will eliminate the necessity for heddle rod supports intermediate the ends of the frame, and in which the heddles used are so shaped that the same may be made on ordinary heddle. making machines without any considerable'modification thereof. I

The principal object therefore of the present invention is to provide a loom harness frame, and the heddles mountedtherein, which are so constructed and arranged as to eliminate thenecessity for any supports for the heddle rods intermediate the ends thereof- ,l r

. A further object of the invention is to-provide loom harness and heddles of the character afore- H said which may bemade by means of the equipment now available for the manufacture of heddles and heddle frames.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, in which;

Figure l is a front elevation of a loom harness fr-ame, and heddles mounted therein, embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a face view of one Of the heddles of the present invention, the same being of the type which are made by slotting a metallic strip and shape are punched and in which certain portions are reduced in width by shearing away the metal at the edges.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawing herein are illustrative merely and that various changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2' of the drawing, the frames therein shown comprise top and bottom rails l0 and If, preferably made of wood, although, if desired, the same may be made of metal of other anddifi ferent cross-section. The top and bottom rails H3 and l l are connected by endstruts lfipreferably made of two strips of metal secured to each other and each having its end portions bent over for attaching the same to the ends of the top and bottom rails Ill and H.

The end struts It also serve as a means for supporting the heddle rods 13 at the ends thereof, and the same may be secured thereinby means of the usual spring hooks M, althoughany other form of securing device may be used for this pur pose.

The inner edge portions of the top and bottom rails Ill and H are each provided with bars l5 being secured in the top and bottom rails preferably by mounting the same in suitable slots IS.

The heddles 20, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing are of the general type made of thin flat strips of metal or wire in which the warp eyes, as well as the mortises for mounting the heddles on the supporting rods, are formed by first slotting the strip at the desired locations and then swaging the strip at the ends of each of the slots thereof to spread the openings to provide the warp eyes 2| and mortises 22 of the proper size for their respective purposes.

In addition to the usual features of the heddles, there is provided at each end of each heddle a bifurcated portion 23 which is formed in much the same manner as the mortise openings, and the shanks 24 of the bifurcated portions'straddle the portions of the bars which extend in-- wardly from the inner edges of the top and bottom railslfl and l l. I

By the foregoing arrangement each individual heddle 20 is provided at the ends with bifurcated portions 23 which serve, in the aggregate, to maintain the heddle supporting rods in the proper plane, and also serve as a means for relieving the tension or stress upon the heddle rods when the shed is formed.

It should be noted however, thatin the use of the present invention the portions ofthe heddles between the warp eyes and the heddle rods 'act as struts, instead of being tensioned as in the ordinary heddle frames. In otherwords, each individual heddle when the shed is formed, has a portion which acts to take the stress from the tension of the individual yarn controlled thereby and the same is transmitted by thrust to the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated party 23 at the end which engages the bar 15 on. the inner side of the upper and lower rail, as the cases may be. 1

The mortises for mounting the heddleson the rods are so located that when the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated part 23 at the end of a particular heddle bears against, the bar [5 the inner end of the mortise will at the same time bear against the inner marginal edge of the heddle rod, and it will therefore be apparentthat by reason of the aggregate main thrust beingtaken by the bar 15, there will be no tendency toward,

dies on the heddle rods are punched in the strip of the full width, as are'also the slots 24 'toprovide bifurcated end portions '23 of each heddle.

Iclaim: v v 1. In a loom harness frame having longitudinal heddle rods mounted therein, and heddles on said rods, the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods, bifurcated end portions for engaging fixed portions of the frame when theheddles are stressed by the formation of the shed, said bifurcated end portions and the mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods being so shaped and positioned that the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated portion at one end of a particular heddle willbear against the fixed portion'of the frame when the inner end of the mortise at that end of the heddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

2. In a loom harness frame having longitudinal heddle rods mounted therein, and heddles on said rods, the provision of longitudinal bars parallel with the heddle rods and each having a portion disposed adjacent a. heddle 'rod, and the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods, means at each end for engaging the inner marginal portions of the longitudinal bars, said engaging means at the ends of the heddles being so shaped and positioned with respect to the mortises that one end of a particular heddle will bear against its longitudinal bar when the inner end of the mortise at that end of the heddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

3. In a loom harness frame having longitudinal heddle rods mounted therein, and heddles on said rods, the provision of longitudinal bars parallel with the heddle rods and each having a portion disposed adjacent a heddle rod, and the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods,

bifurcated end portions engaging the inner marginal portions of the longitudinal bars, said bifurcated end portions and the mortises. for mounting the heddles on the rods being so shaped and positioned that the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated portion at one of a particular heddle will bear against the inner edge, of its longitudinal bar when the inner end of they mortise at that end of the heddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

4. In a loom harness frame including top and bottom rails, heddle rodsmounted in the frames adjacent to-and parallel with the top and bottom rails, and heddles mounted on said rods, the provision of longitudinal members each having a portion projected inwardly toward an adjacent heddle rod, and the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortisesfor mounting the heddle on the rods, bifurcated end portions engaging portions of the aforesaid longi-- tudinal members, said bifurcated end portions and the mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods being so shaped and positioned that the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated portion at one end of a particular heddle will bear against the inner edge of its longitudinal member when the inner end of the mortise at that end of the heddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

5. In loom harness frames comprising top and bottom rails, side struts connecting the ends of said top and bottom rails, heddle rods mounted in the frames adjacent to and parallel with the top and bottom rails, and, heddles mounted on said rods, the provision of longitudinal bars mounted in the frames each having a portion adjacent a heddle rod, and the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddle on the rods, bifurcated end portions engaging the inner marginal portions of the aforesaid longitudinal bars, said bifurcated end portions and the mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods being so shaped and positioned that the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated portion at one end of a particular heddle will bear against the inner edge of its longitudinal bar when the inner end of the mortise at that end of theheddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

6. In loom harness frames comprising top and bottom rails, side struts connecting the ends of said top and bottom rails, heddle rods mounted in the frames adjacent to and parallel with the top and bottom rails, and heddles mounted on said rods, the provision of longitudinal bars mounted on the inner edges of the top and bottom rails and each having a, portion projecting inwardly toward the adjacent heddle rods, and the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddle on the rods, bifurcated end portions engaging the inner marginalportions of the bars mounted on the inner edges of the top and bottom rails of the frame, said bifurcated end portions and the mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods being so shaped and positioned that the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated portion at one end of a particular heddle will bear against the inner edge of its longitudinal bar when the inner end of the mortise at that end of the heddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

7. In loom harness frames comprising top and bottom rails, side struts connecting the ends of said top and bottom rails, heddle rods mounted in the frames adjacent to and parallel with the top and bottom rails, and heddles mounted on said rods, the provision of longitudinal bars mounted in slots in the inner edge portions of the top and bottom rails and each having a, portion projecting inwardly toward the adjacent heddle rod, and the heddles having, in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddle on the rods, bifurcated end portions engaging the inner marginal portions of the bars mounted on the inner edges of the top and bottom rails of the frame, said bifurcated end portions and the mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods being so shaped and positioned that the base portion of the slot of the bifurcated portion at one end of a particular heddle will bear against the inner edge of its longitudinal bar when the inner end of the mortise at that end of the heddle bears against the inner marginal edge of its heddle rod.

8. A heddle for loom harness frames having in addition to the usual warp eyes and mortises for mounting the heddles on the rods, bifurcated end portions for engaging fixed portions of the frame, simultaneously with the engagement of the inner ends of the mortises with the inner edges of the respective rods.

JOHN JACOB KAUFMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,461,496 Kaufmann Feb. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 78,412 Switzerland Dec. 2, 1918 81,567 Germany June 7, 1895 

